Construction and Civil Engineering Senior Staff Association (CCESSA) has urged the National Assembly to fast-process deliberations on the local contents bill to ensure that the Act was established in the construction industry.
The association stated this in a communiqué issued at the end of its Central Executive Committee (CEC)/National Executive Council (NEC) held in Kaduna over the weekend.
The communiqué, signed by the national president and acting general secretary, Comrade Augustine Etafo and Ezekhumhe Otaru George, respectively, stated that the influx of expatriate into the construction industry was still a common occurrence and not abated.
It, therefore, called on the three tiers of government to intensify efforts in the creation of jobs for the nation’s teeming youths.
It said: “The three tiers of government should also identify policy or incentives that will help boost the level of economic activities in the construction industry, in order to minimise brain drain in the country.
“We call for the creation of vocational centres by the three levels of government for our youth to acquire skills that will make them self-employed and be useful to themselves and the country at large.”
CCESSA observed that the remuneration package in the industry as guided by its regulatory body’s agreement was inadequate, saying that “it does not constitute a living wage for Nigerian workers, while the expatriate live in absolute luxury.”
“The association demands immediate bridging of gap between the expatriate and senior staff in the industry in order to ensure sustainable growth.
“We condemn the award of contracts to companies who have not registered with recognised body, and also denied their senior staff to join any union of their choice by laying all manners of excuses. We condemn companies executing multi-billion naira projects, but did not have senior staff, yet employ expatriates. We call on the relevant authorities to bring to book such defaulting companies.”
